My name is Cameron Haynes and I am a special education major focusing on natural science and language arts. Growing up I went to Mary Queen of Heaven, a private school in Northern Kentucky. I went there for ten years. While I was there, there where not a lot of computers or technology at all. I also did not have a computer at home. After eighth grade year I switched to a public school where i knew no one. My freshman year I took a typing class because I was so slow at it. After I took this class I realized it is important to know how to use technology. So through out the years of highs school I took an excel and word class, to get certified. I also enjoy doing anything active, especially sports. I played high school basketball and was involved in a variety things in high school. My want for doing special education comes from my coaches in high school, that is what they taught. They allowed me to be the peer tutor in the class all four years and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Does technology make a difference in the learning process or could you teach just as well without it?
Technology makes a difference in the learning process. No one is perfect, having a reference and being able to look something up on command can be looked as essential to the learning process.
2.Are students today fundamentally different than students in the past?
2. Students are different in the way we do things. With technology students do not have to commit everything to memory. Some information does not need to be memorized; For example phone numbers, instead of memorizing them we have somewhere to store all of the numbers. Now we can commit our memory to something more useful.
Lumsdaine (1963) concluded that the benefits of media were primarily economic and that Their use was "to develop the technology of instructional method"
Mielke predicted that adequately designed research on the learning benefits of various media would yield no significant differences between treatments.
Wilbur Schramm claimed that learning is influenced more by the content and instructional strategy in a medium than by the type of medium
Media serves as instruction but does not have an effect on the students ability to learn or achievement
Media can shape your cognitive process, it is not the medium but only certain parts that shape us
The problem with media attributes is that most media provides tools to solve the same problems or goals
Certain media and attributes are more efficient for certain learners, learning goals and tasks.
Instructional method - any way to shape information that activates, supplants or compensates for the cognitive processes necessary for achievement or motivation ….EX. Students need an example to connect new information in a learning task with information in their prior experiences.
Cunningham (1986) did not dispute my argument that media made no difference to learning or motivation but argued against my empirically-based claims that instructional methods were responsible for achievement gains.
After reading the Komza article I have still kept my opinion on technology in the class room. Which is, technology is a factor in education and how we learn. Is it possible to learn just as effectively without technology? Yes I do believe so but it makes it more difficult than it needs to be. Technology allows for the teacher to get assistance if needed by showing a video or clip of something the students are struggling with. From a very young age we are using technology to help children learn and understand concepts. There are studies that show the ways that our brains evolved and how we learn. We learn differently from one hundred years ago. Therefore I think it is obvious that we should use our resources and use technology. Technology allows us to commit our memory to something important. What I mean by this is that it allows us to grasp a concept and not just memorizing a formula to solve a problem but understanding how you got that problem solved.
Constructivist is how people learn. It says that we learn through our actions and experiences in life. By relating what you are teaching to their lives. This can be applied in the class room with experiments, group work, or anything that has to do with hands on work. To do this you should know your classes preexisting conception so you can build off of it. By doing this you are teaching the child learn how to learn. Throughout the exercises you have to challenge the students to question themselves on the best strategy to complete or learn the objective. Constructivist seems like it is more laid back but ultimately a good way to learn. This type of learning will not work with every class so try each way of teaching and see what works best with your group of students.
Objectivist
Is strict and just drilling the students with the information until they get the material. This teaching strategy does not consist of relating to students past experiences. i have had teachers that taught this way and I hated it along with everyone in the class. Everyone hated it because we would get ridiculed for our wrong answers which make a student feel dumb. http://youtu.be/z8Lh5MfyE-E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxufdpcfpJY
The two videos I watched where both constructivist teaching styles. I noticed this because the teachers could not get there students to learn the material but yet memorize it for the test. Once the teachers realized that they were just memorizing it for the test and forgetting it the next day. Each teacher went to group work to help relate the subject to their lives and see everyone else’s thoughts to stimulate ones of their own.
1.Prove to the adminstartion that it would benefit to have technology
2. demonstrate simple technology based lesson plans that you could implement into lesson plans
3. bring in technology and let administration observe a class to see how the students interact with it
4. get consent forms from parents saying they want technology for their kids or have them sign a petition
Game Stations
Word Confusion http://www.funbrain.com/whichword/index.html
This is a drill type thinking game because it is a low level game that constantly drills you with facts. It tries to trick you with words that sound alike for example red and read. It will present a sentence and the student will have to pick which is correct for the sentence. While I was participating in this game I realized this would be great to use for the third grade level. I feel this way because if you do not focus on the sentence and each word you could potentially get it wrong. I am going to bookmark this website for future refrence because this game was so helpful. This could be used for Grade 3 Model Curriculum for English Language Arts and Grade 2 Model Curriculum for English Language Arts.
Issac Newton's Gravity http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/isaac-newtons-gravity-hd/id371490360?mt=8
This is a game creation software because students have to put blocks into place to get the ball to the finish line. This could be used when teaching Newtons laws of motion. I do not think it fits in with any specific standard but if a student finished early with a assignment; I would allow them to play on the Ipad for better understanding and a fun way to look at it.
Website Evaluation:
I evaluated the website, http://www.rythospital.com/2011/#. At first glance the website looked legit, but looks can be deceiving. The website looked high tech and was well put together. At the top it had pictures of two babies and an article about cloning. At towards the middle of the page there where articles you could click on and read. At the bottom of the page I realized that there was not a phone number or email address so you could contact someone. As I began to search the website and read some of the articles, I started to realize some of the headings where a absurd. The types of titles where, man gets pregnant, with this certain pill you only needed twelve minutes a night.This website is obviously a fake. http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/pdf/evalteacher.pdf http://www.funbrain.com/
1. ISTE Standards. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity.
d.
model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.
From the start to the end of this class, I picked up a new tool to use each week. This class not only presented tons of technology to use but getting students involved. Getting students to be comfortable face to face with teachers and their peers is essential to their future. In this class we were required to work face to face every day. We did this by group work, than a collaborative online assignment to see our understanding. This This collaborative online assignment was on the website diigo.com. I believe this tool allowed everyone to get comfortable with each other. I believe this because at times you want to say something but do not know how people will react. Using this showed the class that everyone was accepting and good people in general.
Working with our peers is one of the best tools I can take from this class. It made me realize how important it really is for school and the real world. From the beginning of the quarter we had a group we sat/worked with. In this group I previously did not know any of them. I believe Dr. Angelone did this on purpose. To make us step outside of our comfort zone and work with people we did not know. Working with people makes all the difference. If I had a question about anything someone in my group had an answer or an idea. Especially if I did not know what was due for the next week and I saw someone from class on campus. I could stop them and ask because of the previous face to face interactions with them.
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and AssessmentsTeachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching. In class we were presented with a couple different ways to asses students. The two ways we used to asses students where rubrics (by using rubistar), and creating a test/quiz using Google docs. rubistar.com was the first website that I have ever seen that makes the rubric for you. This is a great tool that I will take with me for when I become a teacher. The rubric allowed us to evaluate the student’s performance. In the future the times I use a rubric will only be used during projects. Before this class I did not know of a website I could use to create a rubric. Now I know of a couple that will be essential to me when I start teaching. Google doc was my favorite tool to use because it allowed me to put any information in any form that I wanted to put it. For example I could use: true and false questions, short answer, and multiple choice. Along with different formats for questions, a teacher can use this for quizzes or test, which is my favorite part about Google docs. The only thing I did not like about Google Docs, I could not find if I was able to make a rubric or not. I learned that there are multiple tools that are out there for teachers to use that are free. Before this class I thought that you had to pay for all of these things or the school provided it. Man was I wrong none of these things are provided the only thing that will help are the other teachers that I work with. This was a great eye opener for me and now I know what to expect when I become a teacher. 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
c.
communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and format
In class we communicate in three ways, face to face, wiki, or via email. Not only this class but every other class that I have had in college has had a form of our wiki. This is important for students to have because there is always something they can go to if they have a question. We are offered email and these websites to contact our professor. In my opinion websites set up like the wiki is best. This is because, if it is not a personal message to the teacher, the question a student has can help the rest of the students. The link to our wiki is, computertools12s.wikispaces.com this was probably the most helpful thing in this class. For the future I plan on making a page like this, it is pretty self explanatory, but at the same time I think there is an easier way to do it. Everything is easy accept the tools on the top when you are editing your page. I would like to try to find a tool that makes it easier to use them. Every time I have emailed or tried to get hold of Dr. Angelone it was simple and easy. I never had to wait an extensive period for a response. In all of the classes that I have taken in college, this has been the experience with communication.
4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and ResponsibilityTeachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers:
c.
promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.
Before this class these problems did not dawn on me. In everyday life we are all connected by a type of technology from, cell phones, internet, computers, social media, and lap tops. With all of these forms that we are connected there are rules of Copy Wright, and Citing Sources Correctly. The biggest problem that I see from being connected in so many ways, the younger generation puts their whole lives on a social website for everyone to see. Since anyone can see it this leaves the opportunity for predators and bullies. Since everyone judges, there is going to be someone out there that does not like what you have to say, therefore can lead to potential cyber bullying. Teachers need to educate students on these matters. Which mean the teachers need to be educated or know something about social media and what goes on. In this class we did an activity where we responded to an angry parents email. This taught me what you can and cannot say and that you are protect to an extent by your school. Before this activity I never thought of being in a confrontation with a parent via email. I can see where it gets a little tricky. You have to be careful not to come off rude. I believe this activity made a great impact on me. It gave me a little taste on what to expect.
A way that you could demonstrate this is by making a fake Facebook about a good person that just got a bad representation because of Facebook.Because your future job could check facebook.com, your Facebook can be a deciding factor on if you get the job over your competitor.
5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. Teachers:
a.
participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning. Throughout the course of this class we have been placed in a variety of different learning communities. Class itself, then it branches into our groups. Along with our groups it was communities online as well for example the wiki and diigo. From class we had the face to face interaction, and with the websites we had to post something different every week. This was an effective way to learn as a whole class. Doing creative things like the wiki and diigo.com helps students be more interested in the class. I believe this because every student enjoys the computer and anything to do with it. I am going to use this method when I start to teach. Like I said in the previous comment another interaction that we all participate in is Facebook. After a week or two of class a lot of us where friends of Facebook. This is why it is important that students learn about everything that comes with the Facebook and the risks.
Final Reflection:
When I first began this class I did not know of the different type of teaching styles for example, constructivist and objectivist. Through the articles that we read and this class as an example. Being a constructivist teacher is the best type of teaching it allows the student and the teacher to develop a good professional relationship. On top of that it allows the student to learn the style that best fits them. Being a constructist teacher allows for creativity and at times leaves open ended questions to allow the students to think critically. The way this class is represented this style are all of the projects we had got to do. For example we could make a test about basically whatever we want that was related to our major. This class was the opposite number of objectivist teaching. With objectivist teaching the teacher does not give their students a option on how they want to learn or what the student wants to do. This way of teaching in a way reminds me of a dictatorship. I will be able to take this teaching style with me when I become a teacher. I want to teach like this because it is important that I am able to be a great teacher to all of my students. I have gained a lot of understanding and knowledge about technology, for example how to use it, rules and regulations, the risks as a teacher, and risks for your students. I honestly did not know what to expect coming into this class. My first impression was, we were going to learn about word and excel, I was dreading it. As the class went on it got more and more interesting. I did not think I was going to be able to take much away with me from this class, I was wrong. I am glad this was a required class because if it wasn’t I would not of taken it. I plan to use the majority of tools we have learned about when I begin my teaching career.
My name is Cameron Haynes and I am a special education major focusing on natural science and language arts. Growing up I went to Mary Queen of Heaven, a private school in Northern Kentucky. I went there for ten years. While I was there, there where not a lot of computers or technology at all. I also did not have a computer at home. After eighth grade year I switched to a public school where i knew no one. My freshman year I took a typing class because I was so slow at it. After I took this class I realized it is important to know how to use technology. So through out the years of highs school I took an excel and word class, to get certified. I also enjoy doing anything active, especially sports. I played high school basketball and was involved in a variety things in high school. My want for doing special education comes from my coaches in high school, that is what they taught. They allowed me to be the peer tutor in the class all four years and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Favorite Educational Website:
http://www.funbrain.com/where/index.html
http://www.edmodo.com/?language=en&auto_selected_lang=true
Test
2.Are students today fundamentally different than students in the past?
2. Students are different in the way we do things. With technology students do not have to commit everything to memory. Some information does not need to be memorized; For example phone numbers, instead of memorizing them we have somewhere to store all of the numbers. Now we can commit our memory to something more useful.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin122.shtml
http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2009/12/can-technology-help-students-be-better-learners/
http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/tiol.html
After reading the Komza article I have still kept my opinion on technology in the class room. Which is, technology is a factor in education and how we learn. Is it possible to learn just as effectively without technology? Yes I do believe so but it makes it more difficult than it needs to be. Technology allows for the teacher to get assistance if needed by showing a video or clip of something the students are struggling with. From a very young age we are using technology to help children learn and understand concepts. There are studies that show the ways that our brains evolved and how we learn. We learn differently from one hundred years ago. Therefore I think it is obvious that we should use our resources and use technology. Technology allows us to commit our memory to something important. What I mean by this is that it allows us to grasp a concept and not just memorizing a formula to solve a problem but understanding how you got that problem solved.
Constructivist is how people learn. It says that we learn through our actions and experiences in life. By relating what you are teaching to their lives. This can be applied in the class room with experiments, group work, or anything that has to do with hands on work. To do this you should know your classes preexisting conception so you can build off of it. By doing this you are teaching the child learn how to learn. Throughout the exercises you have to challenge the students to question themselves on the best strategy to complete or learn the objective. Constructivist seems like it is more laid back but ultimately a good way to learn. This type of learning will not work with every class so try each way of teaching and see what works best with your group of students.
Objectivist
Is strict and just drilling the students with the information until they get the material. This teaching strategy does not consist of relating to students past experiences. i have had teachers that taught this way and I hated it along with everyone in the class. Everyone hated it because we would get ridiculed for our wrong answers which make a student feel dumb.
http://youtu.be/z8Lh5MfyE-E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxufdpcfpJY
The two videos I watched where both constructivist teaching styles. I noticed this because the teachers could not get there students to learn the material but yet memorize it for the test. Once the teachers realized that they were just memorizing it for the test and forgetting it the next day. Each teacher went to group work to help relate the subject to their lives and see everyone else’s thoughts to stimulate ones of their own.
Click here for larger version
Solutions:
1.Prove to the adminstartion that it would benefit to have technology
2. demonstrate simple technology based lesson plans that you could implement into lesson plans
3. bring in technology and let administration observe a class to see how the students interact with it
4. get consent forms from parents saying they want technology for their kids or have them sign a petition
Game Stations
Word Confusion
http://www.funbrain.com/whichword/index.html
This is a drill type thinking game because it is a low level game that constantly drills you with facts. It tries to trick you with words that sound alike for example red and read. It will present a sentence and the student will have to pick which is correct for the sentence. While I was participating in this game I realized this would be great to use for the third grade level. I feel this way because if you do not focus on the sentence and each word you could potentially get it wrong. I am going to bookmark this website for future refrence because this game was so helpful. This could be used for
Grade 3 Model Curriculum for English Language Arts and Grade 2 Model Curriculum for English Language Arts.
Issac Newton's Gravity
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/isaac-newtons-gravity-hd/id371490360?mt=8
This is a game creation software because students have to put blocks into place to get the ball to the finish line. This could be used when teaching Newtons laws of motion. I do not think it fits in with any specific standard but if a student finished early with a assignment; I would allow them to play on the Ipad for better understanding and a fun way to look at it.
Website Evaluation:
I evaluated the website,
http://www.rythospital.com/2011/#. At first glance the website looked legit, but looks can be deceiving. The website looked high tech and was well put together. At the top it had pictures of two babies and an article about cloning. At towards the middle of the page there where articles you could click on and read. At the bottom of the page I realized that there was not a phone number or email address so you could contact someone. As I began to search the website and read some of the articles, I started to realize some of the headings where a absurd. The types of titles where, man gets pregnant, with this certain pill you only needed twelve minutes a night.This website is obviously a fake.
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/pdf/evalteacher.pdf
http://www.funbrain.com/
1. ISTE Standards. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity.
Working with our peers is one of the best tools I can take from this class. It made me realize how important it really is for school and the real world. From the beginning of the quarter we had a group we sat/worked with. In this group I previously did not know any of them. I believe Dr. Angelone did this on purpose. To make us step outside of our comfort zone and work with people we did not know.
Working with people makes all the difference. If I had a question about anything someone in my group had an answer or an idea. Especially if I did not know what was due for the next week and I saw someone from class on campus. I could stop them and ask because of the previous face to face interactions with them.
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and AssessmentsTeachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.
In class we were presented with a couple different ways to asses students. The two ways we used to asses students where rubrics (by using rubistar), and creating a test/quiz using Google docs. rubistar.com was the first website that I have ever seen that makes the rubric for you. This is a great tool that I will take with me for when I become a teacher.
The rubric allowed us to evaluate the student’s performance. In the future the times I use a rubric will only be used during projects. Before this class I did not know of a website I could use to create a rubric. Now I know of a couple that will be essential to me when I start teaching.
Google doc was my favorite tool to use because it allowed me to put any information in any form that I wanted to put it. For example I could use: true and false questions, short answer, and multiple choice. Along with different formats for questions, a teacher can use this for quizzes or test, which is my favorite part about Google docs. The only thing I did not like about Google Docs, I could not find if I was able to make a rubric or not.
I learned that there are multiple tools that are out there for teachers to use that are free. Before this class I thought that you had to pay for all of these things or the school provided it. Man was I wrong none of these things are provided the only thing that will help are the other teachers that I work with. This was a great eye opener for me and now I know what to expect when I become a teacher.
3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
Every time I have emailed or tried to get hold of Dr. Angelone it was simple and easy. I never had to wait an extensive period for a response. In all of the classes that I have taken in college, this has been the experience with communication.
4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and ResponsibilityTeachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers:
Before this class these problems did not dawn on me. In everyday life we are all connected by a type of technology from, cell phones, internet, computers, social media, and lap tops. With all of these forms that we are connected there are rules of Copy Wright, and Citing Sources Correctly. The biggest problem that I see from being connected in so many ways, the younger generation puts their whole lives on a social website for everyone to see. Since anyone can see it this leaves the opportunity for predators and bullies. Since everyone judges, there is going to be someone out there that does not like what you have to say, therefore can lead to potential cyber bullying. Teachers need to educate students on these matters. Which mean the teachers need to be educated or know something about social media and what goes on.
In this class we did an activity where we responded to an angry parents email. This taught me what you can and cannot say and that you are protect to an extent by your school. Before this activity I never thought of being in a confrontation with a parent via email. I can see where it gets a little tricky. You have to be careful not to come off rude. I believe this activity made a great impact on me. It gave me a little taste on what to expect.
A way that you could demonstrate this is by making a fake Facebook about a good person that just got a bad representation because of Facebook.Because your future job could check facebook.com, your Facebook can be a deciding factor on if you get the job over your competitor.
5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. Teachers:
Final Reflection:
When I first began this class I did not know of the different type of teaching styles for example, constructivist and objectivist. Through the articles that we read and this class as an example. Being a constructivist teacher is the best type of teaching it allows the student and the teacher to develop a good professional relationship. On top of that it allows the student to learn the style that best fits them. Being a constructist teacher allows for creativity and at times leaves open ended questions to allow the students to think critically. The way this class is represented this style are all of the projects we had got to do. For example we could make a test about basically whatever we want that was related to our major. This class was the opposite number of objectivist teaching. With objectivist teaching the teacher does not give their students a option on how they want to learn or what the student wants to do. This way of teaching in a way reminds me of a dictatorship.
I will be able to take this teaching style with me when I become a teacher. I want to teach like this because it is important that I am able to be a great teacher to all of my students. I have gained a lot of understanding and knowledge about technology, for example how to use it, rules and regulations, the risks as a teacher, and risks for your students. I honestly did not know what to expect coming into this class. My first impression was, we were going to learn about word and excel, I was dreading it. As the class went on it got more and more interesting. I did not think I was going to be able to take much away with me from this class, I was wrong. I am glad this was a required class because if it wasn’t I would not of taken it. I plan to use the majority of tools we have learned about when I begin my teaching career.